The present invention relates in general to stoves, and, more particularly, to heating stoves.
An open fireplace has historically served as a focal point in a room, and, although inefficient, such fireplaces have often been used as a source of heat.
An open fireplace can consume as much as 3000 cubic feet of air per hour. Before the days of insulation, thermopane windows, tight fitting doors, and the like, such air consumption was no problem. However, with the attention to such details now being given by the building industry, free air for a fireplace fire must work its way into the room through light switches, receptacles, and any other small cracks to create a chimney draft. The tighter the house construction, the more difficult this is, and for this reason a roaring fire which will not spill smoke into the room for lack of oxygen is no longer as easily obtainable as it once was.
Wood burning heating devices are old and well-known. A wood burning stove is an example of such well-known devices. However, these devices do not offer a combination of efficient heat production, esthetically pleasing appearances, and compactness so that the device can be used in a fireplace, or the like, of a modern home or other abode, such as a mobile home. Furthermore, these devices may be dangerous if left unattended for long periods of time, as, for example, overnight.
There are many heating stoves and the like presently known. However, none of these devices are easily transformed from units capable of safe, long unattended burning to units suitable for producing a decorative fire used mainly for esthetic purposes, to units suitable for long periods of controlled burning with the associated viewing and minimum attention. Thus, known heating stoves do not have sufficient versatility, efficiency and safety features to meet modern needs.
There are wood burning devices with viewing capabilities, however, the elements used in these devices to close off the viewing window do not effectively seal that opening and, thus, there is danger of a spark escaping and starting a fire in the room containing the device. Furthermore, such devices do not have any capabilities for efficient, clean burning in an abode which has the above-discussed air-tight features.